International Volunteer Managers Day (5 November 2014)

Universally, people recognise the contribution of volunteers – in sport, health, emergency services, faith communities and the environmental lobby …in fact volunteers are involved in just about every aspect of service delivery in all walks of life. However, volunteering does not succeed in a vacuum.Behind this army of volunteers lies an equally dedicated group of individuals and agencies who are reponsible for the coordination, support, training, administration and recruitment of the world’s volunteers – skilled professionals who are adept at taking singular passion and turning it into effective action. That is why we celebrate International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day every year on November 1.

It is important to let those professionals know that the spirit of volunteerism is enhanced and enabled by them, and to thank them. We urge you to mark your calendar and, whether you are an administrator, a volunteer, a community leader or someone who receives the benefit of volunteer help, to make sure the people who act as leaders and catalysts get the recognition they deserve! Recognition for those who lead your volunteers While the spotlight is often pointed towards the amazing achievements of volunteers around the world, the efforts of those who work so tirelessly in the background - to capably lead and equip volunteers - is all too often overlooked International Volunteer Managers Day (IVMDay) whic is to be celebrated on November 5, is the ideal opportunity to acknowledge and recognise the important work undertaken by those who lead volunteer effort and create environments in which volunteers and volunteering can flourish.

International Volunteer Day (5 December 2015)

Recognising Volunteers on International Volunteer DayInternational Volunteer Day (December 5th each year) was created to acknowledge and show appreciation to all those people who dedicate their much needed time and skills to the many community organisations across the world.

Why recognise volunteers?Volunteers should be acknowledged for the important contribution they make to the community. Many not-for-profit organisations would find it impossible to carry out their work without volunteers. Recognition lets volunteers know that others appreciate what they do. It gives them a feeling of accomplishment and motivates them to continue volunteering.

International Volunteer Day is the perfect time for an organisation to express gratitude to its volunteers. Designed to thank volunteers and stimulate a greater awareness of their contribution, IVD is already marked in more than half the countries of the world. Become part of a global movement to honour volunteers and the amazing work they do.

When should volunteers be recognised?Timing is important when recognising volunteers and it is nice to acknowledge contributions throughout the year, and not just on one day! Giving a small thank you regularly can add up and mean more to a volunteer than one huge thank you at the end of a long project or once a year.

How to recognise volunteersRecognising volunteers is as simple as showing them your appreciation on a day-to-day basis. A regular and sincere thank you is still the best way to build a good recognition program. This kind of recognition is really powerful, as praising work at the time it takes place and treating volunteers as important members of the team gives them a real sense of achievement and enhances the personal satisfaction they get from volunteering.

Recognition can take many forms and one of the most important aspects is to understand what kind of recognition volunteers value individually. Some volunteers love the big yearly event, while others find it embarrasing, or don't care for it at all. Try and vary the ways you give recognition with lots of small acknowledgements regularly and the occasional big celebration. It is a good idea to keep track of any cards, certificates or presents given out in the past, so that the same thing doesn’t get given twice. Things like birthday, anniversary and 'life event' cards personally written and signed can mean so much and cost very little.

BackgroundInternational Volunteer Day is a chance for individual volunteers, communities and organisations to promote their contributions to development at the local, national and international levels. By combining UN support with a grassroots mandate, International Volunteer Day is a unique opportunity for people and volunteer-involving organisations to work with government agencies, non-profit institutions, community groups, academia and the private sector.

Volunteer Ireland Awards (5 December 2014)

The Search is on to find Ireland’s ‘Outstanding Volunteers’ The Volunteer Ireland Awards are the major annual initiative to celebrate volunteering in Ireland and are coordinated by Volunteer Ireland and supported by Panadol.

Now in its fifth year, the Awards aim to celebrate and recognise the thousands of remarkable people across the country who selflessly give their time and talent to benefit others and their communities. Nominate a volunteer you know! Do you know someone who gives selflessly gives their time and energy to benefit others?

Nominate a volunteer you know by filling out an online nomination form. There are 10 categories Awards categories, these are: Arts, Culture and Media, Animals and Environment, Campaigning and Awareness Raising, Community, Children and Youth, Education and Training, Health and Disability, International Development, Social Work, Sports and Recreation.

Category winners and an overall winner are decided at a special gala Awards ceremony in December.

Latest Volunteer News

Minister Kyne announced on 22nd of March 2018 the launchof TrustIE - a pilot project aimed at supporting smaller local charities around board recruitment.

Mr Sean Kyne T.D. Minister of State at the Department of Rural & Community Development today announced the allocation of 20,000 euro for the roll out of TrustIE, a pilot programme aimed at helping smaller charities in recruiting voluntary trustees or directors.

The Minister conggratulated the Volunteer Centres for taking the initiative in developing this pilot project , which is aimed at raising awareness of the challenges and opportunities facing Trustees.

The Minister added that ''withthe modernisation of governance requirements in the Charity sector it is now more important thatn ever that Charities the the right Trustees with the right skill sets serving on their Boards''. The Minister added that ''the role local Volunteer Centres can play speaks volumes for their awareness of the needs of local gorups and the valuable contribution they make at the community level''.

The project involves a series of workshops fort both charities and potential volunteers; covering good governance, recruitment strategies and board rolds and responsibilities. TrustIE will also include a volunteer matching service to help smaller charities find trustees who have the right mix of skills and experience. The project will be carried out by the Dublin, Cork, Galway Volunteer Centres and will be reviewed with the Departmetn of Rural & Community Development on completion later this year.

Volunteer Ireland is delighted to announce that we are managing and delivering Investing in Volunteers (IiV), the national quality standard for good practice in volunteer management, in the Republic of Ireland.

Is your organisation interested in measuring the effectiveness of its volunteer programme and benchmarking the quality of your volunteer management and involvement? Then Investing in Volunteers is the ideal quality standard for you. Volunteer Ireland is currently seeking six organisations to be the first in Ireland to achieve the Investing in Volunteers standard.

The standards are applicable to all volunteer-involving organisations, regardless of size or number of volunteers involved. If you are interested in taking part or if you have any queries in relation to Investing in Volunteers please contact Terri O’Brien, Quality & Training Programme Manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 01 636 9446. For a copy of the standards go to the Volunteer Ireland web site Volunteer Ireland is working in partnership with Volunteer Now in Northern Ireland to deliver Investing in Volunteers, in the Republic of Ireland.